The harbingers of change: Business czars will contest Karnataka elections in 2013

It's now business czars versus politicians in Karnataka. Frustrated with the pathetic misrule of the BJP, especially the neglect of Bangalore where the infrastructure is crumbling, business czars, celebrities and key opinion leaders of the city are planning to contest elections through proxy.

They have launched a new forum - Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) and it will field independent candidates in the next assembly elections due in 2013.

Though none of these big names will contest the elections themselves, they will carefully select candidates for at least 60 constituencies and help them in fighting the elections.

The BPAC members will also extensively campaign for these candidates. If required, the BPAC will even fund the candidates to a certain extent. Kiran Shaw, who is abroad, broke the news through her Twitter post, "We (citizens) are launching BPAC. Bangalore Political Action Committee to support candidates from any party that can deliver governance." According to Pai, who is now the chairman of the Manipal Global Education, the BPAC will scout for candidates with strong commitment to development programmes and welfare of the state.

The BPAC's immediate objective is to field candidates for the upcoming assembly elections. This will be followed by the BPAC supporting candidates for the parliamentary elections and subsequently the Greater Bangalore City Corporation (GBCC) polls.

To start with, the focus of the BPAC will be Bangalore as the city contributes nearly 60 per cent to Karnataka's GDP. But, the city's infrastructure is in a shambles with the speed of traffic during peak hours remaining at an agonising 6 kms an hour.

The city's roads are in a very bad shape and hourlong traffic jams have become common. The mayor himself has been at the centre of various land scams.

"Though the city-based intelligentsia is keen on providing the latest technology to end the woes of the city, the BJP government, which is hit by allegations of corruption, is mired in its own problems. The frustration of Bangaloreans has reached an all-time high. The BPAC is a welcome move; but it is to be seen how well the city voters will receive them," political historian A. Veerappa pointed out.

The BPAC has begun the right way by tackling problems at the grassroots level. Each member of the BPAC has a clout in the city. They are taking advantage of this to reach out to the voters and urging them to cast their ballot without fail.

The BPAC has been inspired by the Nav Bharat Foundation, a non-profit platform in Kochi that takes up developmental issues. Similar forums are expected to be launched in other cities.